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of the truly prudent, becomes the creator of all the virtues. Therefore, let us fear God, and do nothing of what He does not want; and let us love His prudence; and let us not neglect to do anything He wants. For he who fears God hates all lawlessness, and he who has made good prudence his dwelling loves all righteousness. For just as hatred for lawlessness signifies the one who fears, so also love for righteousness makes the prudent one manifest.

Let us not then fashion fear only with habits of dejection, nor show reverence as existing only in outward manners; but by a disposition of the soul, and by a humility of heart secured by frequent groans from the depth; and by the scourge of the memory of past sins, being invisibly struck in the conscience, and for this reason, by its drawing into itself, not enduring to see the faults of others at all. For he who pretends the fear of God with habits alone, is in no way different at all from an ape, which mimics human habits and forms. For this four-footed animal, being by nature far removed from human nature, by the mimicry of its habits seems to those who watch it to be a man, possessing nothing human by nature; just as also he who mimics the habits of those who truly fear the Lord for the deception of those who see him, but does not have the disposition of his mind formed in like manner to them (601) by the divine fear, is another Sadducee or Scribe, both in being and in name; preserving the form of reverence with outward propriety; but being entirely bereft of the reality because of the impure friendship for the passions lying somewhere in the depth of the soul.

Nor again let us display divine knowledge only by the utterance of words polished for beauty; nor let us define good prudence as existing only in the bare ability to speak without acting; but by a disposition of the soul formed by the virtues in action, and therefore, by action indeed making the light of knowledge brilliant; and by knowledge making the intensity of action bright; so that fear, coming together with the desire for God through actions according to good prudence, may work for us perfect divine wisdom; beginning indeed in the avoidance of evil according to divine fear, and being perfected in the practice of the commandments according to good prudence. For he who defines prudence as being in the mere utterance of divine words alone, is like a parrot, mimicking human words. For this animal alone among birds, being taught, pretends to human words, having absolutely nothing human according to its nature; just as also he who, up to the mere utterance alone, mimics the words of the truly prudent to the astonishment of his hearers, but does not have the state of knowledge formed by the practice of the virtues, is truly another Pharisee, or a blameworthy priest, both in being and in name; pretending prudence by the utterance of words alone; but being entirely bereft of the wisdom that truly has its being in works; and for this reason, being puffed up, and by the arrogance of the conceit that nourishes the pride in his mind, standing against the word of truth; not knowing, as it seems, that the theology of demons is manifestly the knowledge without practice of those who are puffed up about it through love of glory; having Jesus, the one supposedly theologized about, expressly rebuking it, even if such a one, being overcome by passion, does not perceive it.

For this very reason, let us fear God with fear, and let us free ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, not permitting the law of the flesh through

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ἀληθῶς συνετῶν, πασῶν γίνεται δημιουργός τῶν ἀρετῶν. Οὐκοῦν φοβηθῶμεν τόν Θεόν, καί μηδέν ὧν μή βούλεται πράξωμεν· καί τήν αὐτοῦ σύνεσιν ἀγαπήσωμεν· καί μηδέν ὧν βούλεται πράττειν καταμελήσωμεν. Μισεῖ γάρ πᾶσαν ἀνομίαν ὁ τόν Θεόν φοβούμενος, καί ἀγαπᾷ πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην, ὁ τήν ἀγαθήν εἰσοικισάμενος σύνεσιν. Σημαίνει γάρ ὥσπερ τόν φοβούμενον τό πρός τήν ἀνομίαν μῖσος· οὕτως καί ἡ πρός τήν δικαιοσύνην ἀγάπη, κατάδηλον ποιεῖται τόν συνετόν.

Μή τοίνυν κατηφείας ἤθεσι μόνοις τόν φόβον σχηματισώμεθα, μηδέ μέχρι τῶν φαινομένων τρόπων ὑπάρχουσαν τήν εὐλάβειαν δείξωμεν· ἀλλά διαθέσει ψυχῆς, καί ταπεινώσει καρδίας πυκνοῖς κατά τό βάθος στεναγμοῖς κατησφαλισμένης· καί τῇ μάστιγι τῆς τῶν προημαρτημένων μνήμης κατά τήν συνείδησιν ἀφανῶς πληττομένης, καί διά τοῦτο τῇ πρός ἑαυτήν συστολῇ τά τῶν ἄλλων πταίσματα παντελῶς ὁρᾷν οὐκ ἀνεχομένης. Ὁ γάρ μόνοις τοῖς ἤθεσι τόν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον ὑποκρινομένος, οὐδέν τοῦ πιθήκου τό σύνολον διενήνοχεν, ἀνθρώπων ἤθη μιμουμένου καί σχήματα. Τοῦτο γάρ τό ζῶον ἐν τετράποσι, τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως πόῤῥω κατά φύσιν διεστηκός, τῇ τῶν ἠθῶν μιμήσει τοῖς θεωμένοις ἄνθρωπος εἶναι δοκεῖ, μηδέν φύσει κεκτημένος ἀνθρώπινον· ὥσπερ καί ὁ τά μέν ἤθη τῶν ἀληθῶς φοβουμένων τόν Κύριον πρός τήν τῶν ὁρώντων ἀπάτην μιμούμενος, τήν δέ τῆς γνώμης διάθεσιν οὐκ ἔχων κατά τό ἴσον ἐκείνοις (601) τῷ θείῳ φόβῳ πεποιωμένην, Σαδδουκαῖός τις ἕτερος ἤ Γραμματεύς, καί ὤν, καί καλούμενος· τό μέν σχῆμα σώζων τῆς εὐλαβείας μετ᾿ εὐπρεπείας τῆς ἔξωθεν· παντελῶς δέ τοῦ πράγματος διά τήν ἀκάθαρτον ἐν τῷ βάθει που κειμένην τῆς ψυχῆς πρός τά πάθη φιλίαν ἀπολειπόμενος.

Μηδέ πάλιν μόνῃ προφορᾷ λόγων πρός κάλλος ἀπεξεσμένων τήν θείαν γνῶσιν ἐπιδειξώμεθα· μηδέ μέχρι ψιλοῦ τοῦ δύνασθαι μόνον λαλεῖν δίχα τοῦ πράττειν, εἶναι τήν ἀγαθήν ὁρισώμεθα σύνεσιν· ἀλλά διαθέσει ψυχῆς κατά τήν πρᾶξιν ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ποιωθείσης, καί διά τοῦτο πράξει μέν τό φέγγος λαμπρυνούσης τῆς γνώσεως· γνώσει δέ τόν τόνον φαιδρυνούσης τῆς πράξεως· ἵνα τῷ κατά τήν ἀγαθήν σύνεσιν πόθῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ συνελθών διά τῶν πραγμάτων ὁ φόβος, τελείαν ἡμῖν τήν θείαν ἐργάσωνται σοφίαν· ἐν μέν τῇ κατά τόν θεῖον φόβον ἀποχῇ τῶν κακῶν ἀρχομένην, ἐν δέ τῇ πράξει τῶν ἐντολῶν κατά τήν ἀγαθήν σύνεσιν τελειουμένην. Ὁ γάρ ἐν μόνῃ ψιλῇ τῇ προφορᾷ τῶν θείων λόγων εἶναι τήν σύνεσιν διοριζόμενος, ἔοικε ψιττακῷ, τούς ἀνθρωπίνους μιμηλευομένῳ λόγους. Τοῦτο γάρ μονώτατον τό ζῶον ἐν τοῖς πτηνοῖς, τούς ἀνθρωπίνους διδασκόμενον ὑποκρίνεται λόγους, μηδέν ἔχων παντελῶς κατά τήν φύσιν ἀνθρώπινον· ὥσπερ καί ὁ μέχρι μόνης τῆς ψιλῆς προφορᾶς, τούς μέν τῶν ἀληθῶς συνετῶν λόγους πρός τήν τῶν ἀκουόντων κατάπληξιν μιμηλευόμενος, τήν δέ τῆς γνώσεως ἕξιν οὐκ ἔχων τῇ πράξει τῶν ἀρετῶν πεποιωμένην, Φαρισαῖος τις ἄλλος ὡς ἀληθῶς, ἤ ψεκτός ἱερεύς καί ὤν καί καλούμενος· τήν μέν σύνεσιν τῇ προφορᾷ μόνῃ τῶν λόγων ὑποκρινόμενος· αὐτῆς δέ τῆς ὄντως ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις ἐχούσης τό εἶναι σοφίας παντελῶς ἀπολειπόμενος· καί διά τοῦτο μέγα φυσῶν, καί τῇ ἀλαζονείᾳ τῆς ὑποτρεφούσης αὐτοῦ τήν κατά νοῦν ὑπερηφανίαν οἰήσεως, κατά τοῦ λόγου τῆς ἀληθείας ἱστάμενος· οὐκ εἰδώς, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὅτι δαιμόνων θεολογία προδήλως, ἡ τῶν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῇ διά φιλοδοξίαν μέγα φυσώντων καθέστηκε δίχα πράξεως γνῶσις· ἐπιτιμῶντα διαῤῥήδην Ἰησοῦν ἔχουσα, τόν δῆθεν θεολογούμενον, κἄν ὁ τοιοῦτος τῷ πάθει κρατούμενος οὐκ αἰσθάνεται.

∆ιά τοι τοῦτο φόβῳ φοβηθῶμεν ἡμεῖς τόν Θεόν, καί παντός ῥύπου σαρκός καί πνεύματος ἑαυτούς ἐλευθερώσωμεν, μή συγχωροῦντες, τόν νόμον τῆς σαρκός διά τῆς